Folding shelter



Nov. 22, 1960 c. HOLMSTROM 2,969,993

FOLDING SHELTER Filed Jan. 16. 1958 INVENTOR. A CARL HOLMSTROM V 54 Q MW- ATTO RN E (5 FGLDING SHELTER Carl Holmstrom, Muskegon, Mich., assignor to Muskegon Awning and Manufacturing Company, Muskegon, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 709,328

1 Claim. (Cl. 1354) This invention relates to weather shelters generally and more particularly to a folding or collapsible type of weather shelter.

Most collapsible or folding weather shelters, such as tents and the like, are cumbersome to store, to pack and unpack, to erect and take down, and to carry from one place to another. This is generally due to numerous different sized parts used to form the shelter frame and which are usually disassociated from the cover material.

One advantage to having the parts of the shelter frame disassociated from the cover material is that it generally can be arranged in a more compact package. However an obvious disadvantage is that parts are more easily lost or damaged and the shelter is many times more difficult to erect.

Collapsible weather shelters of a truely portable nature and which can be quickly and easily erected by one person have numerous uses. Such shelters may be erected by youngsters in the backyard, by women on picnics and at the beach, and would have numerous useful purposes on hunting trips, ice fishing expeditions and other sporting ventures.

It is here proposed to provide a collapsible or folding weather shelter having essentially no loose parts which may become lost or broken. The proposed shelter may be collapsed or folded into a neat package of such size as may be carried by one person and as may be easily stored in the trunk or back seat of an automotive vehicle or the like. The weather cover of the shelter may be fastened to the collapsible frame and need never be disassociated therefrom. The means of unfolding and erecting the shelter is sufficiently simple that a woman or teen-age youngster may erect the tent by themselves.

The proposed weather shelter frame is preferably covered with canvas or other similar weather resistant material which is sufliciently plyable to enable the cover material to be folded and collapsed with the frame. However, other weather resistant materials such as aluminum or the like may be provided and attached to the weather shelter frame after it is erected.

The proposed weather shelter frame, as erected, is adapted to provide a closed or open base portion and has vertically disposed arch members for supporting the roof portion or cover for the shelter. Means are provided for expanding the effective height of the shelter during the assembly thereof so that it will be larger in its erected form but does not require any support stays which will interfere with the collapsing of the structure into a compact assembly for storage. Collapsible stays or braces hold each part of the frame structure in its respective erected relation to each other part. The stays or braces provide adequate structural support for the weather shelter as erected and are readily collapsible to enable the different supports to be brought together and later folded into a collapsed position.

The proposed weather shelter frame may be inexpensively manufactured from commonly available materials. A minimum number of different parts are required.

atent 2,960,993 Patented Nov. 22', 1960 Tubular members and rods are most adaptable in the construction of the proposed weather shelter frame. Commonly available wing nuts, pivotal joint connections, and support stays as well as a pivotal support bracket comprise the other parts of the frame assembly.

It will become apparent from the description which follows that numerous different sizes and shapes of tent structures may be provided within the scope of this invention. These and other advantages will become more apparent in the description of one form of weather shelter which is hereinafter illustrated and described in detail.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a weather shelter made in accord with the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the pivotal joint connections of the weather shelter frame assembly.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the weather shelter frame assembly in its erected form.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the weather shelter frame in one of its folded positions.

The weather shelter illustrated and hereafter described includes a frame assembly 10 having a weather resistant canvas covering 12 secured thereto. The weather shelter is shown as erected in Fig. 1. The shelter includes a back wall 14, side walls 16 and 18, a top or cover Wall 20 and a front closure flap 22. A bottom cover 24 may be provided but is not necessary.

The canvas covering 12 is understood to be secured to the frame assembly 10 in such a manner as does not interfere with the folding of the frame as hereafter described. The frame assembly is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 without the cover material in order to be able to better show the different parts of the frame andto explain their operation. In the folding of the frame the cover material is collapsed with the frame and lays in folds between different parts thereof. The cover material may also be allowed to hang out from between certain frame parts and may be used as a cover for the collapsed assembly. In such case, suitable straps and buckles may be provided and actually secured to the outer surface of the cover material in any of a number of conventionally known ways.

The frame assembly includes a plurality of arched braces 30, 32, 34 and 36. Each arched brace includes a cross member 38 formed from tubular stock material and having a pivotal joint connector 40 secured in each end thereof. The connectors 40 are shown by Fig. 2 to include a right angle member having an end 42 telescoped within and secured to the cross member 38. The other end 44 is formed to receive a pivot pin 46 and includes a pivot stop 48.

Referring to Fig. 3 the arched braces 30, 32, 34 and 36 will be noted to be generally similar although the braces 32 and 34 are slightly different than braces 30 and 36.

Each arched braces 36, 32, 34 and 36 includes an arm member or support 51 These arm members 50 are of tubular stock material; generally the same as that used for the cross members 38. The arm members 50 of braces 30 and 36 are directly connected to their cross members 38 by means of the pivotal joint connectors 40. The ends of these arm members 50 may be flattened or otherwise formed to be received on the pivot pin 46 of their connector members.

The supports or arms 50 of the arched braces 32 and 34 further include a rod member 52 of a size that will telescope within the support arms 50. The ends of the rods 52 are formed to be received on the pivot pins 46 of the pivotal joint connectors 40 of their respective cross members 38. As shown in Fig. 2, the ends ofthe extension bars or rods 52 may be flattened for such purpose.

When the extension members 52 are collapsed within their respective supports 50, each of the support members 50 of the different arched braces 30, 32, 34 and 36 is of the thumb screws 62 are set.

3 substantially the same length. Each of the supports 50 is pivotal against its respective cross member 38 in the manner shown by the dotted outline in Fig. 2. The pivotal stop 48 is also effective in each instance to limit pivot movement of the arm members 50 to a right angle disposition relative to the cross members 38.

Th lower ends of each of the arm members or supports 50 is engaged to a foot piece 54. The foot piece 54 is a channel member receiving the ends of the arms 50 between the side flanges thereof and having such arm members engaged on pivot pins 55. The arm members 50, at each end of the cross members 38, are pivotal in a commonplane between the flanges of the foot piece 54. Such pivotal movement is in a plane transverse to that permitted by their pivotal connection to the cross members 38.

The arm members 50 may be fanned open relative to the foot piece 54 only after eachgroup of arm members are opened from the dotted 'line position shown in Fig. 4 to the full line. position thereof. In fanning open each set of arm members the arched braces 30, 32, 34 and 36 are likewise fanned open. The outermost arched braces and 32 will open to the limit permitted by their engagement with the flange connecting web of the channel shaped foot piece 54. The braces 30 and 32 thus lie in substantially a common plane and serve to form the base of the weather shelter.

The supports 50 of arched braces 32 and 34 are positioned relative to the other braces 30 and 36 by the foldable or collapsible stays 56 and 58, respectively, and are positioned relative to each other by similar stays 60. The braces 32 and 34 are thus disposed in a diverging angular relation to each other over the base of the weather shelter forming frame members.

The effective height of arched braces 32 and 34 is increased by withdrawing the rod members 52 from their respective support members 50. The cross members 38 of braces 32 and 34 are raised to a selected height, or are limited by the cover material 12. Thumb screws 62 are threaded through the supports 50 and engage the ends of the extendable rods 52 to maintain the rods in their adjusted relation.

The stays 56 58 and 60 and thumb screws 62 will be noted to be disposed so as to be accessible within the shelter frame and to be so located that they do not interfere with other members in erecting or folding the frame assembly.

Operation The disclosed weather shelter is erected in the following manner, it being remembered that the cover material 12 is fastened to the frame assembly.

The arm or support members 50, secured to the foot pieces 54, are first opened from a position adjacent the cross members 38 to a position at right angles to the cross members, as shown in Fig. 4. Each of the arched braces 30, 32, 34 and '36 are next fanned open so that the support arms 50 are in the positions shown by Fig. 3.

The stays 56,58 and 60 are next set to maintain the supports in the positions shown. The stays are accessible through. the front opening in the cover material 12. The rods 52 are next extended to their required height and The rods 52 and thumb screws are also accessible through the cover material opening.

Nothing more is required to be done. The shelter is erected in about the time it takes to relate .the steps required. In fanning open the supports 50 it will be apsupports 50 of braces 32 and 34 which are then vertically fixed. 'It is a relatively easy task to raise the extension rods52 .and fix the thumb screws 62.

The weather shelter in its erected form will not collapse of its own accord. The supports and extensions 59 and 52 cannot be folded against their respective cross members 38 in their open relation. Such members are collapsible about the pivotal connectors 49 only when each is disposed in a parallel plane as shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the extensions 52 must first be telescoped within their respective supports 50. The pivotal axis of each of the connector joints 40 must be in a generally parallel relation to the foot piece 54 to permit the groups or sets of arm members 50 to be collapsed against their cross members 38.

The weather shelter is collapsed in the reverse order of the steps recited for erecting the same.

The thumb screws 62 are released and the weight of the cover material causes the extensions 52 to telescope within their respective arm members or supports 50. The stays 56, 58 and 60 are released. The arched braces 30, 32, 34 and 36 are brought together. The arm members 50 and their foot piece 54 are then collapsible against the cross members 38.

The excess cover material may be folded about the collapsed assembly and secured therearound, as previously mentioned, or other means of holding the assembly in its collapsedform may be provided. In either instance the assembly will be seen to be no longer than the cross members 38, no wider than the width of the four cross members and the cover material received between them, and no thicker than the thickness of a cross member,.a foot piece and the cover material Wrapped therearound.

Although only one preferred embodiment of this invention has been described and illustrated other modifications and improvements may be made thereto. Each of the support arms 50 may include a telescoping extension and the cross members may be enlarged by a similar arrangement. Other innovations are readily conceivable within the spirit and teachings of this invention. Such of the modifications and improvements as incorporate the principles of this invention are to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claim,punless this claim by its language expressly states otherwise.

I claim:

A weather shelter comprising a tubularframe adapted to be covered by a weather resistant cover material, said frame comprising: a plurality of arched braces; said arched braces each including a cross member having supporting members and wherein each supporting member is'pivotally engaged to each end thereof; a pair of foot pieces, each foot piece having each of said supporting members on one end of said cross members pivotally engaged thereto, said supporting members being pivotal relative to their respective foot pieces in a common plane and transversely of the pivotal movement afforded by their respective connections to said cross members; at least one of said arched braces including means for extending the eifective height thereof above said other arched braces; and collapsible, rigid stays engaged between adjacent supporting members at each end of said cross members, the middle one of said stays horizontally arranged and positioned materially above the other of said stays and adapted to fix the relative angular relation of said adjacent supporting members for maintaining said arched braces in an open fanned relation to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,007,829 Westbrook Nov. 7, 1911 1,619,740 Long et al. Mar. 1, 1927 1,819,490 Weiss Aug. 18, 1931 2,014,336 Marthaler Sept. 10, 1935 

